T
TWD-Tony
- Original Poster
- #1
I have gained some good knowledge over my limited time here so I thought I would share what i know about the hosting business with you all, maybe a mod/admin could make it sticky?
Server Location
This can be very important depending on your domain name - if you own a "generic" name (.com or .net for example) and you want to appear in a "UK Only" search in the search engines then you are going to need a UK based server. If a search engine cannot determine your location from your domain name (.co.uk for example) then it will look-up the IP address of the server and use that. I have heard that it IS possible to get around this but I haven't seen any conclusive evidence of this and it would surely take a lot of hard work (link building etc). If you own a country specific TLD (.co.uk for example) then US based hosting will be fine.
UNLIMTED bandwidth hosts...
There is NO SUCH THING. The host can claim to own the datacenter but even then - they DO NOT own the connections from it to the Internet, so they cannot offer "unlimited" anything...
Bandwidth needs paying for by somebody - so how do these host's operate? There are 2 ways of selling "unlimited bandwidth"
1> They basically gamble that you do not use huge amounts of bandwidth, it's easy to tell someone using under 1Gb/Month that they have "unlimited" bandwidth isn't it?
2>They cap the bandwidth speed - so that it is physically impossible to go over a certain amount of bandwidth per month - even if the server is maxed out 24/7!
Cheap hosts...
There was a "boom" a few years ago... where the cheapest guy won, but the industry has changed (thankfully). Cheap is now regarded as something to be avoided - simply because the only way to offer "cheap" hosting is to over-fill a server with websites.
A cheap host will either:
1>Make little or no profit on their services - this is obviously bad as the host will soon be history...
2>Oversell their plans / overload the servers. This works because the host is again gambling on you not using your maximum resources. Lets use this example... The host set's up a server with 1200Gb/Month of bandwidth - they will then create a hosting "plan" that offers 20Gb/Month of bandwidth... using basic maths they can only setup 60 of these accounts before all the bandwidth is allocated to clients, but the host will gamble that the majority of clients will never use their 20Gb and actually sell 100 of these accounts! (YES they are selling the same bandwidth twice in effect). Some people say this is okay - aslong as the bandwidth doesn't run out... I am one of those that DOES NOT agree with this.
Domain Names...
A lot of hosting companies offer FREE domain names - but who actually owns the name? YOU or the hosting company? You may want to check this out before signing up - if you want to move later then it could be difficult / expensive.
Professional Company...
Do not hesitate to contact the company first to see what they are like to "talk" to - some hosting companies are run by "kids" (hard to believe but true). The problem with these kids is that apart from the fact that they are "out of the office" during school time - if you find yourself hosted by a US kid and they run off with your money or loose important data then you are screwed... Under US law, a minor cannot enter into contracts so you cannot sue if the kid breaches your hosting contract!
Beware of hosting companies who's websites look like templatemonster websites or who have silly spelling mistakes on their site. A pro host will take the time to ensure that they have their own site correct and will also be a registered company.
The company should also be able to provide you with references of people already hosted with them - use these refernces to find out average support times etc.
Ability to grow...
Can your hosting company supply the demands of your business as you grow - I have seen some eCommerce websites use more than 10 times their normal bandwidth during the run up to chistmas!
JUST REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE: If it looks too good to be true - it probably is! :roll:
Server Location
This can be very important depending on your domain name - if you own a "generic" name (.com or .net for example) and you want to appear in a "UK Only" search in the search engines then you are going to need a UK based server. If a search engine cannot determine your location from your domain name (.co.uk for example) then it will look-up the IP address of the server and use that. I have heard that it IS possible to get around this but I haven't seen any conclusive evidence of this and it would surely take a lot of hard work (link building etc). If you own a country specific TLD (.co.uk for example) then US based hosting will be fine.
UNLIMTED bandwidth hosts...
There is NO SUCH THING. The host can claim to own the datacenter but even then - they DO NOT own the connections from it to the Internet, so they cannot offer "unlimited" anything...
Bandwidth needs paying for by somebody - so how do these host's operate? There are 2 ways of selling "unlimited bandwidth"
1> They basically gamble that you do not use huge amounts of bandwidth, it's easy to tell someone using under 1Gb/Month that they have "unlimited" bandwidth isn't it?
2>They cap the bandwidth speed - so that it is physically impossible to go over a certain amount of bandwidth per month - even if the server is maxed out 24/7!
Cheap hosts...
There was a "boom" a few years ago... where the cheapest guy won, but the industry has changed (thankfully). Cheap is now regarded as something to be avoided - simply because the only way to offer "cheap" hosting is to over-fill a server with websites.
A cheap host will either:
1>Make little or no profit on their services - this is obviously bad as the host will soon be history...
2>Oversell their plans / overload the servers. This works because the host is again gambling on you not using your maximum resources. Lets use this example... The host set's up a server with 1200Gb/Month of bandwidth - they will then create a hosting "plan" that offers 20Gb/Month of bandwidth... using basic maths they can only setup 60 of these accounts before all the bandwidth is allocated to clients, but the host will gamble that the majority of clients will never use their 20Gb and actually sell 100 of these accounts! (YES they are selling the same bandwidth twice in effect). Some people say this is okay - aslong as the bandwidth doesn't run out... I am one of those that DOES NOT agree with this.
Domain Names...
A lot of hosting companies offer FREE domain names - but who actually owns the name? YOU or the hosting company? You may want to check this out before signing up - if you want to move later then it could be difficult / expensive.
Professional Company...
Do not hesitate to contact the company first to see what they are like to "talk" to - some hosting companies are run by "kids" (hard to believe but true). The problem with these kids is that apart from the fact that they are "out of the office" during school time - if you find yourself hosted by a US kid and they run off with your money or loose important data then you are screwed... Under US law, a minor cannot enter into contracts so you cannot sue if the kid breaches your hosting contract!
Beware of hosting companies who's websites look like templatemonster websites or who have silly spelling mistakes on their site. A pro host will take the time to ensure that they have their own site correct and will also be a registered company.
The company should also be able to provide you with references of people already hosted with them - use these refernces to find out average support times etc.
Ability to grow...
Can your hosting company supply the demands of your business as you grow - I have seen some eCommerce websites use more than 10 times their normal bandwidth during the run up to chistmas!
JUST REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE: If it looks too good to be true - it probably is! :roll:
You should have your own section for beginners like me.
